All three on the pitch together? For now, only in the fantasies of those who watch Real Madrid or Barcelona on TV. The trident of wonders is sacrificed at the altar of sustainability, compactness and balance. No temptation, let alone if Conte is someone who falters. And since Politano recovered quickly from his flu problems, lose all hope for those who will be watching the match against Venezia today: he plays. More Neres (favourite over Kvara) and more Lukaku. In short, like with Genoa. Conte chose the module, the only scheme he knows: go, attack, win. Even without ball possession to make your head spin. Who cares. For the moment, Neres is ahead of Kvara. Just a little.
Even if the Georgian appears a little more willing to sacrifice: but it is probable that the relay between the two will continue for a long time, following the single hierarchy of psychophysical condition and result. And seeing as the Brazilian has done his duty well so far, both with Udinese and Genoa, it’s only right that it’s his turn again. On the other hand, removing one of the moral captains of the Azzurri, the equalizer Politano, body and soul of the team, would be something not like Conte. Without him the tactical deluge. Without him the spaces become clogged, the source dries up, destiny becomes more predictable. Instead with him, the reports say, it is a Naples with ferocious measure, where the claws and the lines unite. Because Matteo attacks when he defends, he defends while he attacks and in the meantime, if he happens to, he goes to shoot and scores too.
Conte and Oriali watched the matches of Inter and Atalanta together, in the retreat of the Gli Dei hotel. On the big screen in the dining room. How much does Napoli lose without Kvara? He loses one of his most decisive men in the championship. This would be enough to close the discussion. But now things are going like this, then in Florence the Georgian will return to the starting line-up. On the other hand, he is a player who in Serie A is among the most capable of unbalancing a match with a single play. But the one against Venezia is also an opportunity to test, perhaps to set up a small laboratory: also in relation to the tactical and physical characteristics of Di Francesco’s team. Who, obviously, imagines that over the course of the ninety minutes, many things can happen on those wings: perhaps Neres move to the right or make room for Kvara. Nor is it difficult to hypothesize Ngonge but also Raspadori. The team before individuals: it is Conte’s ABC. Everyone knows the importance of the wingers in Conte’s game, whether they are short or tall. Not only in Naples. He too would like to see four or five jugglers ready to do anything to score goals. But he wants people who move up and down, who transform the 4-3-3 into a 4-2-4 when there is possession into a 5-4-1 when the others have the ball. And since Di Francesco is someone who has ideas that go well beyond the pure and simple chain, albeit a well-organized one, we need to fill the board.
And with the right pieces. What is simplest to put in place is the new Lukaku who will still be there, in the middle of the trident. It will have to be an arrow, a javelin, the stone thrown from the catapult. The Belgian has aptitudes that almost everyone is starting to metabolize: he needs the verticality of the long throw to unleash the power of the sprint, the immense resistance of his shoulder thrusts and the ferocity of the shot. Just look at the goals he scored against Milan, Roma and Udinese. The team, to incite Lukaku, must be like an elastic band. And Anguissa and McTominay are the ones who take turns at his side. As backs, often as a real second striker. It was a special week of intense work for Conte. He granted Christmas Day off. Then he recovered with a couple of days of “double”.
Napoli-Venice live, probable lineups and where to watch the match in streaming: Antonio Conte’s conference today
Jesus didn’t exactly make people jump for joy with Genoa, but it’s still up to him also because Marin isn’t playing out of whim or spite: Conte needs a well-tuned orchestra and therefore the less he changes the better. Because he doesn’t want to ruin New Year’s Eve and knows that Venezia is the perfect opponent to make the New Year’s Eve of December 31st bitter. Olivera is still preferred to Spinazzola and we remain with the four-man line without changes to the universe known so far. There are fifty thousand spectators today at Maradona. Like in the first match against Bologna: but if then they were driven by hope, now they are driven by a dream ranking and by a team that grinds out points and concreteness. The most different Naples from the Naples of recent history. But that doesn’t mean he is overwhelming his fans with passion. As demonstrated by the sold-out with Venezia.
